Govt still owed billions in Covid loans

Tuesday, 21 October 2025 06:30

The federal government is still owed CHF 6bn from Covid loans to businesses.

During the pandemic, the government rapidly granted emergency loans to businesses under then Finance Minister Ueli Maurer.

In 2020, banks issued nearly 138,000 loans worth CHF 17bn, guaranteed by the Confederation.

But many firms are still struggling to repay, according to a new report from the Federal Audit Office.

So far, CHF 9.2bn francs have been reimbursed, while CHF 6 billion remain outstanding.

Despite this, Bern expects final losses to stay below CHF 1.7bn - less than the 10% once feared.

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